Plano, Texas is known for setting a high bar in the field of education. Placing a high importance on the future by strengthening its system of learning has made it one of the most desirable cities to live in in the United States.

Located just outside of the Dallas-Metro area, Plano has believed that the more you know the better off you’ll be. We here at Deep Reflections Flooring Company feel the same way about custom hardwood floors installation.

When we meet with a potential client we want to make sure that all of their questions are answered until they are fully knowledgeable when it comes to hardwood floors installations.

Our high level of commitment to our clients in the Plano, Texas region is one of the reasons we have acquired the best reputation in the hardwood flooring industry, anywhere in Texas.

We understand how important it is that our clients make the right decisions for their homes and we take great care in making sure that they know the difference between hand scraped hardwood floors with the grain vs. Hand scraped hardwood floors across grain; or how hand scraped differs from “distressed”.

These details are the things we will cover in this article. It is our hope to help you make a wise and informed choice when the time comes for the repair and refinishing of hardwood floors in your home.

The term Hand Scraped Hardwood Floors comes from what was once a common method of using a drawknife to shave a plank until it was smooth. The craftsman would do this until the board was smooth and flat, but this would also leave minor tool marks behind adding depth and character to the flooring material.

Nowadays, hand scraping is still done manually, but is often accomplished via mechanical means, as well.

Now some people confuse the terms hand scraped with distressed. Although a hand scraped board can appear distressed, the difference lies in the fact that distressed markings are more often than not made by a machine and are more uniform from board to board.

Distressed flooring can also be altered to include imperfections such as wormholes, or grain patterns that do not occur naturally.

The result of a custom residential hardwood floors installation performed by a qualified installer will look as if it were older and more worn than it actually is.

Let’s look a little deeper into the process of this unique style of sanding and refinishing of hardwood floors.

What You Need to Know About Hand Scraped Hardwood Floors

One of the best characteristics of hand scraped hardwood is that it adds a dash of class to any room, especially family and dining areas. It creates a warm welcoming atmosphere that soothes and calms the spirit. Hand scraping adds a small touch of old world feel. Also, consider the uneven surface of a hand-hewn floor as it will likely appear differently from different angles, and shades of light will alter the look of the floor throughout the day giving it endless appeal.

This style of custom hardwood floor installation is also the perfect fit for families with children and household pets, as it is well known for its long lasting durability.

Minor marks from children’s toys and animal claws, dents, and dings are all absorbed by the rougher surface adding more character than flaw to your flooring. Consider it a continuous work in progress as your floor develops more depth and character over the years.

To the contrary, a smooth, highly polished floor would begin to look less attractive over the many years of use and would eventually require some maintenance of the hardwood floor.

Sanding and refinishing hardwood floors is something we love to do, but if it isn’t your cup of tea to have to do it every ten years or so then the hand scraped look might be more aligned to your lifestyle.

Hand Scraped Floor Require Less Maintenance

One thing pretty much everyone agrees on is that cleaning and polishing hardwood floors is a lot easier and more sanitary than caring for a thick carpet. Dust and debris are cleaned up easier with hardwood floors than with carpeted areas even though the level of maintenance varies from one type of wood to another. Hand scraped floors, due to their rough-hewn surface is prone to collect small dust and debris requiring a bit more effort to maintain than its smoother counterpart.

Also, a plus, with today’s stronger polys and other treatments a water damaged hardwood floor can be avoided in most scenarios.

The thing to consider when mulling over which choice to make is how unique this process leaves your floor. Longer life and better lasting durability are also admirable qualities and both great reasons to consider especially if you are adding on to and matching hardwood floors in an existing home.

The rougher, hand scraped flooring can be customized to easily match your existing floor without lines, or blemishes that you might get with a glossier, smoother surface of a flat floor.

The Difference Between Hand Scraped Hardwood Floors with the Grain vs. Hand Scraped Hardwood Floors Across the Grain

There are still more details to consider when looking into hand scraped floors. This type of wood floor installation can be performed either with or against the grain of the wood. This results in subtle and not so subtle variations that should be given proper attention when making our decision.

When going across the grain of wood the tools a professional hardwood floor installer will use leave behind rough, jagged, and torn substrates on the wood. This makes the wood appear to have a rugged, unpolished look and appeals to people who fancy the more rustic look for their homes. This method also hides marks from heavy use such as pets and children, or heavy traffic areas. This is a good choice for someone looking for a floor that will continue to look good for many years without the need to refinish it due to blemishes and damage from wear and tear.

By going with the grain, the craftsman can smooth down a floor’s surface by pressing and dragging the tool in unison with the direction of the grain. The pressing motion, unlike the cross grain method, flattens the tiny wood particles into place creating a smooth, polished look.

One of the unique qualities many people love about going with the grain is the ripple effect that it often produces. A gentle rolling of the light as you look across the floor gives an antique feeling, and adds warmth to the room.

At Deep Reflections Flooring Co., we have over 27 years of hardwood flooring installation experience and we would love to meet you and discuss your hardwood floor plans.

We have enjoyed accomplishing over 6K completed projects, and proudly designed over 488 different designs to satisfy our clients.

From our proprietary dustless sanding method to hand scraped perfection, we cover every aspect of hardwood floor installation project from the ground up.

Our dust containment system is so advanced that you will not even have to remove your pets while the work is being performed. The health risks of dust and air borne debris on a micro level are well documented and we take this health issue very seriously for both the sake of our customers and our valued employees.

We have a wide variety of displays available for clients to look at in person at our beautiful showroom. We believe in taking as much time as is needed to help our clients understand and some to a wise decision about their hardwood floors. That is why our showroom is by appointment only, so we can devote 100% or our attention to your needs.

The people of Plano Texas have been wonderful to our company for over a decade and we enjoy serving the community by adding beauty to the existing architecture of the city, both old and new.

By working within the community to restore and refinish hardwood flooring, we believe Deep Reflections Floor Co. has become a proud part of the town of Plano and are grateful to continue to serve this wonderful community for decades to come.